Local Girl Scout cookies sales underway -- in person and online

If there’s anything that can make cracking open a box of fresh Girl Scout Cookies even better, it’s knowing that you’ve contributed to helping Girl Scouts learn the skills they need to succeed in life and make the world a better place.

“For more than 100 years, Girl Scouts and their enthusiastic supporters have helped ensure the success of the iconic annual cookie sale — and they’ve had fun, developed valuable life skills, and made their communities a better place every step of the way,” the organization’s website states. “The sale of cookies as a way to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouts in the United States, when the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Okla., baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project.”

This year’s cookie line-up includes three featured flavors as well as five perennial favorites. They are:

• Girl Scout S’mores, a crunchy graham sandwich cookie with creamy chocolate and marshmallowy filling;

• Savannah Smiles, the crisp, zesty lemon wedge cookies dusted with powdered sugar;

• Toffee-tastics, the rich, buttery, gluten-free cookies packed with golden toffee bits;

• Thin Mints, the crisp wafers covered in chocolaty coating made with natural oil of peppermint;

• Samoas, crisp cookies, coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut, and striped with dark chocolaty coating;

• Tagalongs, the crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating;

• Trefoils, the delicate-tasting shortbread; and

• Do-si-dos, the crunchy oatmeal sandwich cookie with creamy peanut butter filling.

This year, it’s easier than ever to find cookie booths in your area, or even order cookies online!

Local Girl Scouts will be selling cookies:

• Saturday, Feb. 16, at Wal-Mart, 1311 S. Jackson St., Jacksonville;

• Friday, Feb. 22, at Fred’s Super Dollar, 1123 SH 110 N, Whitehouse;

• Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Spring Market, 440 E Pine St., Frankston; and

•Saturday, Feb. 23, at Wal-Mart, 1311 S. Jackson St., Jacksonville.

To find other area cookie booths, enter your zipcode in the Cookie Finder tool at girlscouts.org to locate a Girl Scout Cookie sale in your community.

Looking for cookies on the go? Download the free Girl Scout Cookie Finder app for your iOS or Android mobile device and press “Find Cookies Now!” Use the app to find the cookie booth closest to you (including the sale’s time, date, and location), locate your local Girl Scout council, and access the complete listing of Girl Scout Cookies available across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Do you know a Girl Scout? Ask her if you can buy your cookies from her online site using the Digital Cookie platform, now in its fifth record-breaking year!

The Digital Cookie platform, including the Digital Order Card and Smart Cookies, give girls more ways to succeed—meaning more ways to learn and earn as they go beyond the booth to offer cookie fans a convenient way to buy cookies and support girls at the same time.

How does it work? In true Girl Scout style, a girl always manages her own sales. So if you know a Girl Scout, tell her you’re interested in buying cookies from her online, and she’ll take it from there! Note that girls’ participation in the digital platform will depend on their market area, and not all girls will participate.

Remember: because 100 percent of the net revenue raised through the Girl Scout Cookie Program stays with local councils, when you purchase Girl Scout Cookies, you’re not only getting a delicious treat but also making an important investment in your community!